


Too Much to Drown

by Horacia



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies), Pacific Rim Uprising - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Original Character(s), newton geiszler/hermann gottlieb(mentioned), rated mature for constant cussing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-04-30 09:48:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14494293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Horacia/pseuds/Horacia
Summary: We enter a universe where three scientists drifted with a Kaiju, instead of two. Post Uprising, Danny reflects on the days they had together, before the nightmare took hold.





	1. The Lost Scientist

Danny and Hermann sat alone in the lab, holding hands over her knee. Jake had insisted on seeing Newt by himself. He’d been happy, exhilarated just to have survived, and saved the day, but then he’d remembered the dead child waiting in one of those Jaegers, the pilots, and his own sister. He’d wanted to deliver his message as a formal representative of their race, but he’d assured them that they could see Newt the _moment_ he was done.

  
This room seemed cold. She felt nauseous, and _so_ tired, and judging by the intermittent tremor in Hermann’s hand, he was no better off. When Jake entered the room, they both sprang to their feet.

  
Before she spoke, Danny frowned. He had a look on his face like he knew he was going to disappoint them.

  
“What?” she said. “What is it?”

  
He lifted his hands to calm them.

  
“He’s asleep.” said Jake.

  
She felt a drop in her stomach, and she and Hermann exchanged a glance.

  
“Asleep? How is he asleep?” said Hermann.

  
“We didn’t knock him out, or anything.” said Jake, and she felt a little guilty that she’d jumped to that conclusion. “He leaned his head back halfway through our conversation, and fell asleep about two seconds after. Seemed really tired.”

  
“Is he okay?” she asked.

  
“Yeah, as far as we know.” said Jake. “Once he conked out, the medic took advantage of the fact that he wasn’t thrashing around anymore, and fixed up his face.”

  
He eyed them both.

  
“You two still want to see him?” he asked.

  
It was clear he’d advise they didn’t, but he wouldn’t go back on his promise. Danny agreed with him, but she didn’t want to speak for Hermann, so she looked at him first. He was looking at her, for the same reason.

  
“We’ll wait till tomorrow.” said Hermann.

  
“If anyone needs sleep, it’s Newt.” said Danny, nodding.

  
Jake nodded back, and hesitated. She could see the thought process. He was exhausted, too, and no doubt he had some conflicting feelings about the man who’d been used to kill his sister, but he felt that he should offer them some comfort.

  
“I’m sorry, guys. I know this is a nightmare.” he said. “But we’re going to get you lot every resource we can spare to help you cure him.”

  
They nodded.

  
“Thank you, Jake.” said Hermann.

  
They watched him go, neither of them entirely certain that this meant Newt had nothing to fear from the PPDC.

  
They just stood there for a moment, feeling the weight of their mutual misery. They’d already given each other a thousand condolences. Danny stepped forward, and opened her arms. Hermann leaned into them, and they hugged.

  
“Get some sleep.” she said, as she held him. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.”

  
“I love you, too, Daniela.”

* * *

 

The moment she shut her door, she crumpled, putting the heels of her hands on her temples. The stillness of her room was frustrating. The drones destroying the Shatterdome, Gipsy Avenger tearing the Mega Kaiju in half, that was a more fitting setting for what she was feeling. The Earth should be screaming.

  
_Shut up. It’s Newt that’s in trouble, not you._

  
How the hell did they proceed from this? There _was_ no proceeding from this! It was too late. The damage was _done_. Newt had already lost ten years of his life, already had ten years of psychological damage pressed into his mind. And now, Jake wanted them to help him wage war on another dimension, and everyone and their dog would be after Newt, not just for the war, but for the rest of his life-

  
_You need to sleep._

  
She sat on her bed.

  
How many fucking times had she made it her mission to do absolutely everything in her power to make Hermann, and Newt happy? To set herself up as their caretaker, their protector? Instead, she’d let them fall into a nightmare that she could directly link back to her own issues.

  
_It’s too late,_ her mind chanted. _It’s too late. The damage is done-_

  
She lay down.

  
_You’re okay. You’re okay. Newt’s in a safe place, he’s asleep, and so should you be._

  
She arranged herself into a comfortable position, clutching her pillow to her head, and immediately knew she wouldn’t be falling asleep tonight.

  
She wanted the old Newt back. No, that was the wrong way to put it. It wasn’t like she didn’t want the current Newt, or that she didn’t want to help him with his trauma. But she wanted everything that had happened to him, to them, to be reversed in an instant. He’d been burdened before, but compared to how he was now, the Newt she’d first met had been positively golden.


	2. Golden Days

The first time Danny had stepped inside a Shatterdome, she’d looked every inch the young academic. She was a dark-haired, pixie-cut sporting, latinx woman, with a messengers bag slung over her shoulder, and a style we can categorize as business/goth casual(aka, a lot of black, and a blazer). Like her soon-to-be colleagues, she was one of the brightest minds of her generation, but the PPDC had been especially interested in her expertise concerning the nature of alternate dimensions. Her acceptance had never been in question. The world was at stake, after all. However, that didn’t mean she hadn’t been terrified at the thought of joining a project where people’s lives would immediately hinge on her results. Still, Hermann and Newt’s letters had carried a plethora of encouragements, and it’d be amazing to work with them in person, if nothing else.

Or, that was her initial thought. The closer she got, the more she agonized. Hermann and Newt had met in real life, and look what that had done to _their_  friendship. What if the same thing happened with her? What if, without the shield of the written word, they realized just how stupid she could be? Either way, they’d already been working at the Shatterdome for a month. They’d had time to grow accustomed to the work, and each other. There was no way she wasn’t going to make a fool out of herself.

Now, she was being led through the base by a cadet. The place was as large, and intimidating as she’d expected, and the cadet was giving very straightforward, curt advice. It wasn’t her fault, she was just trying to get the job done, but it made Danny feel like if she forgot any of this stuff, or was too slow, she’d get snapped at.

Danny felt a spike of anxiety pass through her heart as she spotted Newt Geiszler walking down the other side of the hall. She wanted him to see her, but at the same time, she wanted nothing less in the world. Also, he looked mad. What if she made him angrier by forgetting a basic fact about the base, or-

Newt glanced at her, looked away, then did a double-take.

“ _Danny?_ ” he said.

He was instantly excited, and it was infectious.

“Newt Geiszler.” she said, with a smile.

“ _Hey!_ ” he said.

He rushed forward, pulling her into a hug, which she returned, eagerly. Then he jumped back, switching to a handshake.

“I’m so sorry.” said Newt. “It’s way too soon for hugs, right? It’s just, I’ve been waiting to meet you for so long.”

“You’re fine,” she said, “Right back ‘atcha.”

They were both still grinning, exhilarated. He looked her over.

“Oh. my. gosh, you look so much more like a- a- a vampire scientist than your pictures, and hey, I dig it.” he said.

“Thank you!” she said, nodding. “…You look the same.”

Newt tilted his ear towards her.

“Except…” he said.

“Except?” she said. “…Oh! Shorter.”

It was true. She hadn’t expected him to be this short.

“There it is.” said Newt. “Yeah, it’s hard for the camera to capture how small I am.”

He turned to the cadet.

“Hey, were you showing her to the lab?” he asked. “I can take it from here.”

“Thank you, Doct- Newt.” said the cadet, and immediately left.

Newt gave Danny a face.

“Wow, _she_  needs a break, doesn’t she?” he said.

“Thank you!” said Danny. “It wasn’t just me.”

“Nah, a lot of people are on edge around here.” said Newt. “Something to do with the apocalypse.”

“End of days.” said Danny, nodding. “What are you gonna do?”

“Right?” he said, and smiled again. “I’m so excited to meet you.”

“I’m so excited to meet _you!_ ”

“As you should be.”

Something occurred to him, and his face dropped a fraction.

“Now, unfortunately, it’s a bit of a mixed bag.” he said. “Hermann- or Dr. Gottlieb, as he may insist on you calling him- is waiting back there, somewhere.”

Newt tilted his head over his shoulder, and they started walking.

“Oh, you guys… still don’t…” Danny trailed.

“Oh, no, yeah, he’s still a stuck-up douche-bag. But I should probably hold back on telling you how much, so you can judge for yourself.”

She felt uncomfortable, as she always did when they vented to her about each other. She admired them both, so she never knew how to respond. Newt glanced at her, and smiled.

“Hey, relax.” he said, slinging an arm over her shoulders. “This place isn’t that scary. Watch this. Hey, James!”

“Fuck you, Newt.” said the tech, in passing.

“Good luck out there, James!” said Newt. “He loves me. Why are you laughing?”

* * *

A moment later, and they were entering the lab. It was all but vacated, as the other scientists had gone out to lunch. Newt took off his jacket, and threw it across a chair. Danny turned around, taking everything in. Miscellaneous papers, a chalk-board, some small Kaiju bits, preserved in fluid, some familiar machinery in the corner-

Wait.

“Oh. my god.” she said, hurrying over to the Kaiju parts.

Newt grinned.

“Yeah, I wanted them to be a surprise.” he said.

“ _Fuck_  me.” said Danny, taking them in.

Newt gave a surprised laugh, then frowned as she went to view the blackboard with equal enthusiasm.

“Fuuuuck me.” she repeated. “ _Fuck_  me raw.”

“Okay, calm down, it’s not that impressive.” said Newt. “Anyway, they got your toys set up in the corner there. I don’t know where you’re going to fit into the whole room hierarchy, but I guess we’ll find out.”

“Room hierarchy?” said Danny, looking over said toys.

Hermann Gottlieb appeared, taking Newt’s jacket off his chair, and tossing it onto Newt’s.

“Yes.” said Hermann. “Unfortunately, Newton has yet to learn how to respect other people’s property, so I’ve had to resort to the juvenile practice of dividing the room, as far as we’re concerned.”

She beamed when she saw him, but Newt spoke first.

“Um, it was _my_  idea.” he said, and turned to Danny. “And I don’t do it on _purpose_. Or, at least, I didn’t at first, not until he deserved it.”

“Newton, will you let the girl speak?” said Hermann.

“ _Girl?_  Did you hear how he juvenilized you? Bad move, Hermann.”

She’d been looking nervously between them as they began to squabble, relieved when she could step forward, and extend her hand.

“Hey. Hermann Gottlieb.” she said.

He gave her a small, but genuine smile, and shook her hand.

“Daniela.” he said, with a nod.

Behind him, Newt mocked his formality with a mouthed, ‘Daniela’.

“Lovely to meet you.” said Hermann. “I hope Newton didn’t get you lost for too long.”

“No, he was great.” said Danny.

“See that, Hermann?” said Newt. “Great.”

“Newton, your specimens were spreading their odor across the entire lab.”

Newt ran to his table.

“God, tell me you-” he started.

“ _Yes_ , I aired the tank for five minutes before storing them.” said Hermann.

“And _I’m_  the one who can’t leave people’s stuff alone?” said Newt, though he was visibly relieved.

“Technically, they are not _your_ -” Hermann began.

“Oh, TECHNICALLY-” Newt started, imitating his accent.

“So, how have the officers been treating you guys?” said Danny, interceding in an attempt to keep the peace.

They looked at her.

“Oh, very well.” said Hermann. “They’ve been quite efficient in all our interactions.”

Newt drew a hand over his face.

“They’re like _robots_ , man.” said Newt. “They hate us.”

“They hate _you_ , Newton.” said Hermann. “And with good reason-”

“Maybe they’re just stressed as all get out.” said Danny, interceding again. “Like you said, Newt. I mean, there’s a lot of good things in this for _us_. A whole new world’s opened up, et cetera, but for them, it’s just a lot of lives lost, and not enough resources to combat them.”

Newt shook his head from side to side, as if that was a point, but he didn’t entirely agree with it.

“Fair.” he said. “Or they’re just dicks.”

“Well, in every group of people, you’ll find a bunch of dicks.” said Danny.

Newt pointed at her, lifting his eyebrows.

“Great imagery, Danny.” he said, encouragingly.

Danny smiled, and he smiled back. Hermann saw this, and turned to her, possibly not wanting Newt to be favored over him.

“Did you finish my treatise?” he asked.

“Yes.” said Danny. “Just… _so_  brilliant, as always.”

“Hmm. Thank you.” said Hermann. “And I’ve started on your-”

Newt let out a long groan, and, obligingly, they both gave him their attention.

“You _do_  realize he’s trying to steal you away from me, right?” he said.

She inhaled, mustering up her courage.

“There’s no need to worry about that.” said Danny. “I think you’re both phenomenal, and, from what I’ve heard, you’re already doing great things together.”

Hermann gave a little ‘hmm’, and Newt scoffed, but they were both softening. Perhaps they were catching onto the fact that it wasn’t pleasant for her to watch her friends fight.

“More like doing great things in the general vicinity of each other.” Newt grumbled.

“My dear Newton, did you just concede that I _am_ , in fact, doing great things?” asked Hermann.

Newt scoffed again. She could see he wasn’t in a place where he could admit that yet, but he also didn’t want to break the peace again, so she stepped in.

“Hermann, gift horse!” she said. “Mouth!”

She went to her station as she spoke, and began powering up her projector.

“Now, can you two run me through your findings on the latest incident?” she asked.

She stopped. There was a coffee waiting at her workspace, and a little Jaeger figurine next to a card with the handwritten note, ‘Welcome to the team!’

“Hey, who did this?” she asked, smiling.

Hermann seemed both bashful beneath his restrained countenance, and Newt pointed to the gifts in turn.

“Hermann did the coffee, I did the sick, nasty figurine.” he said.

“ _Thank you_ , guys!” she said.

“You’re welcome.” said Hermann. “It’s good to have you on-board, Daniela.”

“Yeah, what he said.” said Newt.


	3. Recharging Dr. Gallego

There was a gentle revitalization in getting lost in these memories, but it was tinged with guilt. Newt had no choice in whether he could escape his current reality, or not, so why should she indulge? The Precursors were probably torturing him with a stream of nightmares right now.

But if thinking of them rejuvenated her, to any degree, it was worth it. She’d have more energy to fight. Maybe they’d even soothe her enough so she could get some fucking sleep.

The happiness they brought, however, was warped by their current context. Those days were lost, said her emotions, and they were lost for good, and it was her fault-

No. Her friends wouldn’t come out of this unscathed, but they’d rebuild themselves afterwards. Their rapport, their friendship, was preservable, an irresistible force. She smiled. The two of them had been on her side since day one, and even when they’d wanted to hate each other, they could never… quite… manage it.


	4. The Budding Branch

The day before they met Raleigh, Danny walked into the lab to the familiar sounds of squabbling, and felt her insides sink. Many of their fights were light, and childish. They rarely got cutting. Still, to have two people she admired so much just _constantly_  arguing really brought her down. She yearned for them to see the value in each other, to work through their disagreements, instead of feeding them. She could _see_  how great they’d be together, if they’d just calm down, and communicate properly. Sometimes they’d even laugh at each other’s jokes, and when they worked together, they were wildfire.

“-risking their very lives, and instead of doing your job, you’d rather waste their time with hair-brained schemes you know will fail!” Hermann was spitting.

“Yes, _we all know how you worship the Rangers, Hermann!_ ” Newt roared back.

“Yes, Newton, I respect the men and women laying their lives on the line to save ours.” said Hermann, voice dripping with condescension. “ _Clearly_ , there’s something wrong with me.”

“I’m trying to help them!” said Newt. “That’s _literally_ what I’m trying to do!”

“Hey, hey, hey!” said Danny, standing between them. “I know this is frustrating, and we’re all under a lot of stress, but we only hurt each other more when we argue instead of talking it out. Now, Newt, can you tell me what’s going on?”

He looked away, shaking his head.

“I think… No, I _know_  this will jump us years ahead.” he said. “This brain piece I’m bringing in? I think it’s small enough for me to drift with, but big enough for me to get some actual information.”

Her eyes widened.

“Wha- Uh-” she started.

“No, stop, don’t freak out.” said Newt, stepping towards her.

“Of _course_  she’s alarmed-” said Hermann.

“Oh, my bad, I thought I was talking to _Danny_  just then-”

“Easy, easy.” she said, and they stopped. “Newt? I understand why the idea would excite you, but the fact that it’s small doesn’t mean it couldn’t fry your mind.”

He shook his head.

“I understand where you’re coming from, but you _gotta_  have faith in me-” he started.

“No, _the Marshal_  has to have faith in you, and he never will.” said Hermann.

In retrospect, she didn’t think Hermann meant for that to come out as harsh as it sounded. She put a hand on Newt’s shoulder, and he barely restrained himself from shouting.

“Hermann, please.” she said. “Newt, you know it’s not a question of not having faith in you. It’s- don’t hate me- a question of numbers. Yes, there’s a small chance you’d survive, but I’m talking mad small, hermano, and this isn’t worth your life.”

“Of course it’d be worth my life!” said Newt. “Do you have any idea what we might discover?”

“I know it’s entirely possible that’d all you’d get is emotions!” said Danny. “Just emotions, and so big they’d snap your synapses.”

“And we might _end the war!_  Danny, please, just think it through. If you backed me up with Pentecost, he might listen.”

She hated this. She absolutely hated turning him down.

“Newt, I am _always_  on your side.” she said, and glanced at Hermann. “Both of yours. But I can’t… I can’t endorse a plan that has this high a risk of killing you! I’m sorry.”

He looked hurt. And not only that, but as a direct result of _her_  actions. Her heart pricked her from inside.

“Newt-” she started.

“I know, I know.” he said, covering his reaction. “You’re just looking out for me. I gotcha. It wasn’t really fair to ask you. Don’t worry about it. I gotta… get back to work.”

He went back to his side of the lab, and started pulling on some rubber gloves. With that one sentence, all the fight seemed to have gone out of him. Danny wanted to comfort him, to make up for this, but she didn’t know how. She looked at Hermann while she thought, and was surprised to see that he was still looking at Newt. His expression was blank, but there was sympathy in his eyes. He looked at her, registering her expression as well. She turned away to give him privacy, and frowned.

“You _cleaning_ , corto chico?” she asked.

“Yeah, I clean.” said Newt, faux suavely.

He was currently wiping down a table.

“I’m a biologist. It’s a requirement.” he said. “Got to make sure my workspace doesn’t have any bugs that’ll interfere with my research when I get my new bits.”

Hermann appeared behind her shoulder, and she felt him inhale as he braced himself.

“Do you need any assistance?” asked Hermann.

Newt looked surprised, and Danny looked surprised, and Hermann stiffened at their surprise, and Danny’s protective instinct made her start talking to smooth over the situation before she realized what she was saying.

“Absolutely.” she said. “That’s a good idea. We’re both done for the day, and this way, you don’t have to skip a meal.”

“I…” said Newt.

He was slightly touched by Hermann’s unofficial extension of the olive branch, but he didn’t know whether or not he still wanted to be angry with him. Danny was a little ahead of Hermann, and when Newt looked at her, she gave him a subtle, pleading expression.

“Sure, if you want to.” he said.

“Awesome!” said Danny, rounding the table. “Thanks, Newt. Lets see if your tiny, little gloves will fit our hands.”

She stretched to give a pair to Hermann, who leaned his cane against the table to put them on. Newt rolled his eyes.

“Okay, you _do_  know I’ve been hearing short jokes my whole life, right?” he asked.

“Yeah, but I have multiple doctorates, so…”

She trailed off, as if that made sense, and there was nothing else that needed to be said. Newt chuckled.

“Then perhaps you could make them a little more inventive, Daniela.” said Hermann.

“Oooh!” said Newt.

Danny put her hands on her hips, giving Hermann a faux offended look. Hermann responded with a blatantly unaffected expression, and she smiled.

“Heh.” she said. “Dr. Hermann Bitch.”

Newt gave a surprised laugh.

“You weren’t complaining when I destroyed that insolent tech for you.” said Hermann.

“Oh, no, don’t get me wrong.” said Danny, starting to scrub. “I _love_  the bitch.”

Newt giggled.

“Hey, remember what you said when you first saw me?” he asked.

“Is it something I haven’t heard?” asked Danny. “Oh my _god_ , tell me now. Tell me now, Hermann.”

“I believe it was something along the lines of, ‘I don’t know why you thought you could impersonate a man clearly miles above your mental capabilities, but you look more like an office worker trying desperately to convince himself he’s a rebel than anything resembling a scientist.’” said Hermann.

“Oh, god, Hermann.” said Danny. “You’re savage.”

“What made it really funny was that he wasn’t joking.” said Newt. “It genuinely took about twenty minutes for me to convince him it was me.”

“Yes, it was rather embarrassing that he had to resort to Google images.” said Hermann.

“I mean, it is sort of touching.” said Danny. “He was defending your reputation, because he held your letters in such high esteem.”

“’Held’ being the operative word.” said Newt.

“Oh, I still hold them in some measure of esteem, Newton.” said Hermann. “And it’s still incomprehensible to me that you wrote them.”

Danny sniggered.

“There it is.” said Newt.

But he didn’t really seem annoyed. They were teasing each other, she realized. Like _friends_  do.

And, miraculously, the peace continued. Danny didn’t want to let it go, and she also felt personally grateful for this moment. She wanted some way to say thank you, so when they started on the last tank, she took the opportunity to slip away, and order then all thai food. She’d been to the restaurant with both of them, separately, and she knew what they liked. When it arrived, it earned her an, “Ayyy!” from Newt, and a quiet, but warm, “Thank you, Daniela” from Hermann. They ate, and continued chatting, while Danny tried not to give away the fact that this was everything she’d wanted. They’d had little moments like this before, little bits of concern, jokes that were more teasing than venom, but it was rarely something this solid, for this long. She’d started to wonder if Hermann and Newt just weren’t meant to be friends, no matter how much she loved them both, how much she knew they’d be great together. And she knew this peace wouldn’t last, that it had been triggered, in part, by her unspoken plea, but it did make her think that maybe she hadn’t been hallucinating after all. Maybe they could all be friends.

Something occurred to her. It might be pushing it, but maybe she could offer in a way that didn’t make Hermann feel obligated.

“Hey, when are you heading down to pick up your new bits tomorrow?” she asked.

“Ah, I was thinking around nine.” said Newt.

But if she didn’t phrase it in just the right way, Hermann would be too intimidated to tag along. It had to both put no pressure on him, while having the potential to ask for both of them.

“Want some company?” she asked. “I don’t think anything else is going on that morning.”

Both she and Hermann already had their data prepped for Pentecost.

“I mean, yeah, if you want.” said Newt. “I could use more hands that know about the tank procedures, if something goes wrong.”

“Plus, you hate waking up early, and it’d make it better if you could share your suffering.” said Danny.

“Well, yeah.” said Newt. “Of course.”

“You know, if the two of you were really as dedicated as you claim, you’d value the extra time enough to set an alarm.” said Hermann.

“Hey, we use that time!” said Danny.

“Yeah, just in a different place.” said Newt.

“It’s just as well I’m going with you.” said Hermann. “I doubt either of you will be coherent.”

 _Crushed it_ , thought Danny.

“Hermann, be honest.” said Danny. “Are we ever coherent anyway?”

“No, I suppose not.”

“Hey, you got dragged by Hermann twice today.” said Newt, spreading his arms. “Welcome… my child… to the gutter.”

“I like how you’re implying disapproval from Hermann equates to disapproval from the world.” said Danny.

“As he should.” said Hermann.

“Yeah, you’re absolutely right.” said Danny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The term 'Dr. Hermann Bitch' was originated by tumblr user bbehosier.


	5. Sleepless Studies

Alright. She definitely wasn’t going to get any sleep, so she might as well work.

She sat up, getting her laptop from the side-table, and pulling up all her old files from their drifts. They’d done plenty of tests on themselves, of course, to make sure that something like this didn’t happen. Well, not this specifically. They’d vaguely considered it at one point, but their main concern had been brain damage. In their defense, no one had ever been possessed by someone else through a drift, and as far as they’d known, the direct connection was broken. All that was left was nightmares. It was so frustrating, now, to think of how briefly they’d considered it.

Speaking of brief considerations, Hermann and Danny had yet to explore the fact that they might be in risk of possession as well. They could make assumptions,(like if the Precursors could possess them, they’d probably have done it already) but it’d be best to make sure. If they were taken too, then Newt wouldn’t have anyone. He’d be at the mercy of people who seemed all too eager to see him only as the Precursors’ vessel.

Hermann’s initial theory, when he was still in shock, had to do with their joint drift, probably thinking that the double exposure that was specific to Newt was what had made him susceptible. Her guess had to do with his first drift, and that brain piece that she and Hermann had never been in contact with.

As she went over her theories, she remembered their drift with a pang. It was tainted now, not that it had ever been pure. Even without the knowledge of what it’d all done to Newt, the trauma had given them sleepless nights for years. But it hadn’t all been synapse tearing, and horror. In the middle of the hurricane, they’d found something solid, and strong.


	6. Together

This whole day had been her worst nightmare. It’d started with she and Hermann entering the lab to find Newt prone on the floor, having a seizure. Her heart had stopped, and she it’d felt like it’d been beating irregularly ever since. The thought that he might not wake up, compiled with the crushing guilt that her lack of support had been a key factor in this- not in him having done it, but in him having done it alone. When he opened his eyes, and managed to string together a coherent sentence, the relief had been so intense that her hands started trembling. It was then that she’d registered that Hermann had been just as terrified as she was.

Then came Pentecost, and with him, the massive paradigm shift that their enemies were much smarter than they’d thought. Newt had shouted, and so had Hermann, and for the first time, so had Danny, before Pentecost had silenced them all, heard what Newt had to say, and then said-

And then said that he wanted Newt to do it again.

Oddly enough, Newt had seemed to take this much better than Danny. It had taken a moment for her to convince herself that Pentecost hadn’t placed a definite death sentence on his head. She’d insisted that she accompany him, and while Pentecost had initially said this mission needed to stay as contained as possible, he’d been fairly easy to convince. It was easy to imagine Newt’s social skills failing him, causing him to offend the wrong gun-toter. And so, she’d grabbed her jacket, taken a final look at the make-shift neural bridge, edited her sketch a bit, and handed it to Hermann before she and Newt made their exit.

After that, their day had just kept ramping up speed. Newt getting a knife stuck in his nose, Newt getting thrown out, Newt getting pushed down by a terrified mob, and nearly being… eaten? Examined? She hadn’t waited to find out. She’d sprang from the crowd, wrapped her arms around him, and drag him back. Boy, had that made Otachi angry.

And after a mashup of running, and using her body as a shield, they’d ended up here. Newt was on the verge of hooking up his brain to the hive-mind again, and the results of her sketch, were nowhere in sight-

_Oh, thank god._

Hermann had arrived, sporting a dripping parka. She hugged him immediately, but she shouldn’t have. There wasn’t time. She’d pushed a part into his hands, and went back to helping Newt. Once Hermann had placed them, he quickly became immersed in a missive from his walkie-talkie. He muttered something, then she heard a loud, indignant,

“ _Two?_ ”

Hermann shouted up at them, as they stood mounted on the Kaiju’s corpse.

“There are _two_  Kaiju signatures in the Breach, not _three_  like I predicted-”

“HERMANN!” Newt cut him off. “We haven’t exactly had a very good day, okay? We’ve got about five minutes-”

She and Newt bore down on the weight of their Needle, piercing into the brain beneath, as she heard Hermann say, “Should be three-”

“-before brain death occurs here!” Newt continued, as they descended. “I don’t want to spend it talking about your theories!”

“It is all wrong!” said Hermann, and followed them as they walked to the monitor. “There should be three Kaijus coming through, not two!”

She’d took in his expression.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Danny, the interface!” Newt said, and she returned her attention to the screen. “’Should be three, and there’s two!’ I’m sorry! Hurts to be wrong, doesn’t it, Hermann-”

“I am not wrong, but there is something here that we don’t understand.” said Hermann.

It was his tone that got her. Usually, he’d be bickering with Newt right now, in the eternal argument of who was right, but he didn’t seem to care about that at all.

“Newt, he’s not just irritated.” she said. “He’s got something.”

“ _We’ve_  got something right here, and it’s almost shot!” Newt said, and turned. “Hermann, hopefully we’ll live long enough to figure this out later, but in the meantime-”

He gestured towards the screen.

“-the neural interface is _way_ off the charts! If you want to help, help with that.”

Newt took his headset off the pile, his back to him.

“Newton, this is important,” Hermann said, firmly, as she and Newt double-checked the headset. “but there is only one way to get to the bottom of it-”

She turned at the sound of typing.

“-and that is to do this-”

Not two, but three brains appeared on the monitor. Hermann faced them, taking off his glasses.

“- _together_.”

Newt’s head perked up, and he started to turn.

“We’ll go with you.” said Hermann.

Her surprise matched Newt’s. Danny had decided to join him in the drift before they’d even left. That had been the sketch she’d left with Hermann, asking him to build a headset to her specifications. In the back of her head, she’d had the smallest notion that maybe he’d build one for himself too, but she hadn’t been certain.

_Give up,_  she’d thought, _If they’re still fighting, even when one of them nearly died, then there’s no hope. Some people just aren’t meant to be friends._

“That’s what the Jaeger pilots do,” Hermann was saying, a little awkwardly, as he pointed at the screen. “Share the neural load.”

“You’re serious?” he said, looking between them. “You- you guys would do that for me? Or…”

He looked at Hermann, and corrected himself, even now wondering if he was assuming too much.

“You would- you would do that _with_  me.” he said.

“Well,” said Hermann, “with worldwide destruction a certain alternative, do I really have a choice?”

His words were pragmatic, but his smile belied that the decision wasn’t made without warmth. Danny grinned.

“Hermann, you giant nerd.” she said.

Then they both looked at her, waiting. She frowned, before she realized that this was still in question, for some reason.

“Guys, I’ve been all in since day one.” she said.

Newt nodded at her, eyes full.

“Then say it with me, guys,” he said, and extended his hand, “We’re going to own this bad boy!”

Hermann seemed vaguely confused by this, but his enthusiasm wasn’t dampened an iota.

“By jove,” he said, struggling to land his hand, as if Newt’s was a puzzle piece, “we are going to own this thing for sure!”

His hand landed, and he grinned, warmly, as they laughed. They looked at her, and her hand joined theirs.

“Boys, they won’t know what hit them.” she said.

It felt as though the rhythm of her life had changed, in that moment. Like her heartbeat had always been light, and fluttering before, but now it had woken up, beating strong, and steady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of the lines are edited in places where it seems like it'd be unnecessary to do so, but I was trying to match their rhythm with the new lines.


	7. Triumvirate Triumphant

_Fuck me, I’m so scared._

_Why_  was she so scared? Newt had survived this. Barely, but he had, and this time it’d be three of them bearing that load. She felt guilty for fearing the rest- the risks you took when you let a stronger species into your head, the trauma of feeling rage too big for you to handle- when he’d already faced that on his own, but she did. True, he’d acted as the scout, but they were still, essentially, going in blind. Why were they going in blind? So much could go wrong. Newt had taken the hive-mind by surprise. What if they were expecting them now, and lying in wait? They could steal all their knowledge, use it against humanity, and kill them. Or worse, they could turn them into puppets, and the PPDC would only know when it was too late.

_Shut up. It’s time to dive._

Because the fact of the matter was, Newt was going in regardless, so they were, too.

Newt tilted his head over his shoulder.

“You guys ready for this?” he called.

Was this headset shocking her?

“Abso _lutely_.” she said.

Newt grinned at that, and they looked at Hermann, who was petrified.

“Oh, yes, yes.” he said, quietly.

Newt gave him a sympathetic, ‘I know the feeling’ look, and faced the corpse. Hermann looked from him, to the pulsating Kaiju in front of them, face pale.

“Hey, Hermann!” she said.

He looked at her. She realized she didn’t actually have anything to say. In the end, did it matter? In a few seconds, they’d be in each other’s heads.

“...You look good, buddy.” she said.

Newt chuckled, and Hermann shook his head, restraining a smile.

“Daniela.” he muttered, admonishingly.

“Initiating neural handshake in five,” Newt started.

All she had to do was protect them.

“-four-”

To keep her eyes open, and shield them as much as possible.

“-three-”

Not to lose them in the chaos.

“-two-”

Three against the hive-mind, three against the Anteverse. Newt wouldn’t be alone. None of them would.

“-one!”

Newt hit the button. She heard her friends grunt in pain just as a jolt of electricity ran through her skull, and her head imploded.

A child. A young boy. He was as thrilled by the thought of the plane in his hand flying through the air, with him in the pilot’s seat, as plotting its trajectory, and dissecting every part of how hundreds of pounds of metal managed to fly.

Then she was Newt(shouting, his fist in the air), and she was angry, but it wasn’t toxic. It was filled with the friendship, and unity of the women around him, all brought together by a single ideal. They were happy in the notion that they may not save the world today, but that they were planting a seed. She could see this from the outside, too, feeling both her own pride in him, and Hermann’s.

Then she was sitting at a desk, and she felt her insides clench, because this was her, and it was a memory she was all too familiar with. She was fourteen, and the class was empty, save for her, and the teacher. She was looking at the floor, and her teacher’s arms were folded in disappointment as she gave Danny a gentle reproach. She was failing, and she couldn’t even blame her dyslexia. She’d given up.

She felt it as Newt and Hermann rushed to send their reassurance, but they were already moving on.

She was Hermann again, slightly older, but still a boy. The present Hermann clenched up in their minds. He’d shut himself off in preparation as he faced the others. He knew they wouldn’t understand what he was spilling onto the whiteboard, knew they’d make fun of him, but despite himself, felt a spark of hope. Maybe this time, they’d be impressed. Maybe they’d see, for once, that-

And then they were throwing things at him.

He looked down, doing his absolute best to feel nothing, knowing that if he cried, it’d be a thousand times worse.

Danny’s sympathy, and outrage, were so strong that it nearly threw off the Drift. Newt was right there with her, his feelings also tinged with surprise. Hermann made more sense to him now. The present Hermann’s first instinct was to hurry them onwards, but instead, he relaxed. There seemed little point in trying to hide things here, and there was something immensely cathartic about being seen.

The memories were starting to merge, becoming briefer. She was having a hard time identifying which one she was.

She was Newt, thoroughly exhausted, speaking into a tape recorder. She was herself, heart fluttering, surrounded by paper as she feverishly sketched what might be the ‘throat’ of the Breach. Hermann, a boy again, sat in the corner, his arms around his knees, hiding his face as he cried.

_Hermann!_

Danny, ten years old, struggling to read from a blackboard under the furious gaze of a teacher, who finally snapped, and started shouting at her. A spike of protest from her friends, rocking the Drift, but she urged them onwards, determined not to be the reason their connection broke.

Newt again, with the recorder, but the memory was clearer. He was _so_  sleep deprived, _so_  burnt, but he had to get this down, because people were _dying_ , and there was no time to rest- Hermann, closed off to everything around him but the problem. He wouldn’t let anyone’s stress, or urges, or anger stop him.

Danny, a hand on her classmate’s shoulder as she tutored them.

Newt his arm resting across the table, having a grim, but pleasant conservation with his tattoo artist as she worked.

Hermann, covering one of his eyes as he tested his vision, Danny, staring at her bedroom ceiling in abject terror, Hermann, hellbent on his work, Newt, Danny, Hermann, Newt, Danny, Hermann-

_Them._

Much, far too much, far too big to be described, stretching them till their minds threatened to snap, looking right inside them.

She couldn’t feel Newt and Hermann. She started panicking. She was alone, and her mind was still expanding, still stretching, would snap at any moment. How in the hell had Newt survived this by himself? The idea was painful, but it brought their presence back to each other. They latched on, gripping tight. Their joint presence was a tiny stone in a hurricane, but it meant the world.

They had to look before it became too much. They saw flesh, bone, and sinews being knitted together. But not just that. A pattern, a code being embedded inside. The Breach was shifting, spinning ever upwards, but responding only to their soldiers, to their skin. They sent out their titans from the safety of their armies, crushing, consuming, and draining what they needed, never having to fear retribution, because-

 _Enough_ , the trio decided, as one.

She was Newt, head throbbing in pain. No, she was Hermann, about to be sick. No, she was _Danny_ , heart pounding at her rib-cage. She vaguely registered the tickle of blood dripping from her nose, and the spark of pain in her eye as her hands flew to her headset, powering it down. She took an unsteady step towards Hermann.

“Are you okay?” asked Newt.

“Yes, of course.” said Hermann.

“Are you sure?” asked Danny.

“I’m completely fine.”

He gagged, and ran to a conveniently placed toilet amongst the rubble. Danny felt her stomach churn in sympathy, and patted her pockets, before remembering it was Newt who carried the handkerchief, not her. They approached their friend, and Hermann reached behind himself without having to say anything. Newt put the handkerchief in his hand, and Hermann wiped his mouth as he turned.

“The Drift?” he said. “You both saw it?”

“Yeah.” said Newt, and Danny nodded.

“ _Did you?_ ” said Hermann, urgently.

Danny put a hand on Hermann’s shoulder, offering reassurance she didn’t feel.

“We gotta- We gotta go.” she said, shakily. “We gotta _move._ ”

“The Jaegers…” said Newt. “The Breach… the _plan!_ ”

Hermann’s bloodshot eyes were steely as he growled a sentence that sent a chill down her spine.

“ _It’s not going to work._ ”

Then everything returned to a frenzy of movement and shouting, except this time, everything they did, they did together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for any choppiness. I was sick when I edited this, and I was trying to use the prose to reflect the chaos/flow of the Drift. Maybe it was a failed experiment, but eh.


	8. Shallow Breaths

She knew he was asleep, knew he wouldn’t be able to tell if she was there, or not, but the more she thought of him alone in that cell, the less she could concentrate. It felt wrong to be up here, in the comfort of her own room, when he was down there, with monsters in his head. She needed to be there, even if she couldn’t do anything but sit in front of the door, and make sure no one hurt him. So, she saved her work, closed her laptop, and started making her way down the base.

She’d already been protective of them, but the Drift had… well, not boosted that, actually. Just made her much better at it. They’d understood each other a lot more afterwards, and this was after several years of working together. For that brief period, it had been heavenly. Everyone in sync, everyone working together, seamlessly.

Then Newt had started getting distracted, and that had been the start of it. He’d had little side-projects, getting more and more into the concept of drones. Both she and Hermann had been against the idea, but they didn’t fault him for being invested in it. Everyone was sick of seeing pilots die. He’d talked about Shao, and how her blossoming corporation was making great advancements in that area. They were supportive, and even helped with his studies, although he’d seemed to prefer to do it on his own.

Then, one day, he’d had an announcement. He was moving to Shao Corp! She remembered the awkward silence that had followed, before she and Hermann remembered to be supportive. Danny had internally debated on whether or not to follow him there, but she loved both of them, so it came down to where she wanted to work.

“Stop, stop with the forcing it.” Newt had said. “This is sad, and I know it’s sad. We’re splitting up. But hey, this whole thing started with us writing letters, right? We’ll keep in touch! I’ll come visit! It’ll be fine.”

And at first, they _had_. A reasonable amount, anyway. She didn’t think anyone could look at their initial visits, and say, ‘That’s not enough.’ Then it went from a text a day, and a visit a week, to a text every other day, and visit twice a month. The texts went from, ‘hey, bestie, checking in’ to ‘hey, this interesting thing happened’, and the visits went from, ‘god, I hate this, I wish Shao Corp and the PPDC would just merge so we could see each other every day. You’re not letting Hermann get fussy again while I’m gone, are you?’ to ‘oh, hey, sorry dude, it’s just been so busy. Yeah, we should definitely see each other this week.’

Then it was a visit once a month, and the visit was short. He’d check his phone the entire time, and his texts dissolved to, ‘Oops, sorry, didn’t see this, been super busy’.

Then he wasn’t there at all.

Danny started fending off the fears that had been gnawing at the back of her mind, even when their friendship was in its prime. Stuff like thinking this had been bound to happen, of course the friendship would fade, like every friendship did, when combined with space, and time. People talked to you because you were there, but they had no genuine interest in you, so when you were gone, they forgot, replaced you, and moved onto their golden futures full of success, lovers, and peers, and you were left with your studies, your projects, your dwindling resources, and _shut up, you self-pitying idiot._

Still, it wasn’t fair to put this pressure on their relationship. They were just work friends, not the Drift compatible, platonic soul-mates she’d built up in her head. No one could reciprocate the amount of love she generated for them.

No. This was Newt. Newt, who(along with Hermann) had always made a point to show that whenever they were fighting, they were never mad at _her_. That she was a brilliant, valued member of the group, that they loved talking to her, that they were aware of her insecurities, and they wanted to reassure her that these were untrue.

So, if Newt wasn’t going to come to them, then she would go to Newt.

Hermann had dismissed this idea before, or at least dismissed the idea of him leading such a visit. Said, nonchalantly, that he didn’t want to impose. That was his main response to the Newt Problem. Nonchalance. Oh, he’s not coming over? Well, it’s to be expected. They’re probably keeping him busy. Oh, Newt texted? That’s nice. And what, ah, did he say? Is he dropping by anytime soon, or…?

The rarer response, that came when he was particularly stressed, was bitterness. How Shao Corp was all flash, and bang, but when the Kaiju _did_  return, the PPDC was clearly where to place your bets. How he’d known Newt had daydreamed about a rockstar lifestyle, but he hadn’t thought he’d trade it for his common sense. Danny couldn’t entirely blame him. She felt bitter sometimes, too, an emotion she acknowledged as selfish, but it went hand in hand with heartbreak. At least it was platonic on her end. She’d had her own hopes for Newt and Hermann, and wondered if they’d shared them, had dared to allow themselves to take the concept from a vague question of a feeling to a fully defined hope. But if either of them had, they hadn’t confided it to her.

Regardless, this timidness had prevented him from initiating a visit, but when Danny saw an opportunity- some goods being exchanged between the PPDC, and Shao Corp- he was immediately encouraging. Said he was sure he’d be happy to see her, and asked her to tell him how Newt was doing, which she knew to mean, ‘Tell me if it’s safe for me to visit, too’.

And so she went, full of excitement. She should have done this ages ago, but she’d gotten too caught up in her own head. She and Hermann could do this on the regular- why should Newt have to bear the burden of plane fare? This way, everything could go back to normal. Well, not normal, but livable.

Once she got to Shao Corp, she left the PPDC crew as quickly as possible, and kept getting from place to place by showing her credentials, and repeating, ‘Dr. Geiszler’. Irritated aides pointed her in different directions until, at the end of a long, intimidating hallway, she met Newt just as he was exiting a white door, data-pad in hand.

He was dressed _differently_ , to say the least. His clothes had been getting gradually more expensive as he visited, but now it was like someone had taken a sneering look at his old style, and said, ‘Okay, fine, _some_  of this, but richer. Much richer.’

Whatever. It had been awhile. He was allowed to switch it up.

He didn’t look up from his pad, assuming that whoever she was, she’d get out of his way. She side-stepped, obligingly, and spoke just as he was starting to pass her.

“Hey, buddy.” she said.

He looked up, lifting his eyebrows, and there was a slight pause.

“Danny!” he said, lightly.

_Oh, god._ she thought.

The old Newt wouldn’t’ve had that polite perk to his voice. He’d have shouted her name, and crammed her into a hug.

_No, shut up. He’s happy to see you, he’s happy to see you._

“Hey!” he was saying. “What’re you doing here?”

“Oh, our goodies needed escorts, so I thought I’d tag along, and see how my favorite biologist is doing.” she said. “…Yeah, no, fuck it.”

She surged forward, wrapping him in a hug. She noted that he seemed both thinner, and more muscular.

“Yup, there it is.” said Newt, patting her back.

She backed up. “Do you have a moment?”

“Uh…” he said, looking down at his pad. “Yeah, I can spare a few minutes. Lets, uh… head over here, shall we?”

Spare a few minutes? Did they not give him a lunch break? No wonder he couldn’t visit, if he couldn’t even get fifteen minutes for lunch-

“This’ll work.” said Newt.

He’d lead her into an empty, white room, with several white chairs around a white table. She felt like she was having a job interview in an iPod. He looked from the chairs, to her, seeming unsure what the protocol was for a meet-up, then gestured to one of them.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” he said.

“Don’t mind if I do.” she said, with a lilt.

It was the sort of thing old Newt might have said, but she just ended up sounding, to her own ears, like an idiot. This was so damn awkward.

“So, what have you and Hermann been up to?” he asked, sitting across from her.

_Small talk initiated._

“Oh, we’ve been brainstorming some ways to speed up Jaeger intervention time.” she said.

Newt nodded, but didn’t ask for details.

“Also, going out for drinks with some of the aides.” she said. “Hermann’s been positively _chatty_ , recently. With people other than us.”

Newt looked down, forcing a light chuckle.

“Yeah, I didn’t want you to think I’d let your influence go to waste.” she said. “But he barely needs me anymore. He’s stepping out of his comfort zone on the regular.”

“Good! Good for him.” said Newt. “Old sport.”

“Heh.” she said. “So, what’s it like working for Liwen? You alright on the stress side of things? Everyone’s heard the rumors.”

“Heh, heh. Yeah, she likes to think of herself as quite the Ice Queen, but really, she’s got something to prove to everybody. It’s annoying, but I can handle it.”

“What about your coworkers?” she asked. “You make any friends? Lead any underground revolutions to spread self-care, and relaxation?”

“Ha, ha. I wish, but we don’t really have time for anything but work. I… yeah, I don’t really talk to them that much.”

It felt like everything she was tossing his way was getting shut down. Newt seemed to register that, too.

“So…” he tried. “still keeping up the vampire look, I see.”

“Yeah, I’m too set in my ways.” she said. “You’ve upgraded to Executive Antifa Member, I see.”

Newt smiled, but he seemed to take her comment as a reprimand. Well, she _didn’t_  like the clothes, but she hadn’t meant to let that show.

“Yeah, well, dress codes, you know how it be.” he said.

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” she said, hurriedly.

“Plus, I got a bit more dough, now. Why not clean myself up a bit?”

‘Clean myself up’? There was nothing about the old Newt that needed to be ‘cleaned up’.

“Yeah.” she said, lightly.

What the fuck was this? Did time really change you this much? Wait, what if that was it? What if the toll from the stress, and the nightmares were manifesting in weird ways? He didn’t _seem_  like he was struggling, but she could at least check.

“You keeping up with your therapy, buddy?” she asked.

He lifted his palms.

“Woah.” he said.

“Too far?” she said, quickly. “I mean, I was thinking, well, we _have_  been inside each other’s heads-”

“No, no, that’s true. Good point.” he said. “Uh, no, I haven’t been visiting her as much, but it _has_  been a while since our Drift. Trust me, I know where she is if I need her.”

“Hmm.” she said, nodding.

She wasn’t going to fight him on it, when it felt like she no longer had the right. She braced herself, knowing the next logical step in the conversations was for him to ask how she and Hermann were doing in that regard.

He checked his datapad.

“Twelve thirty-two.” he said. “Shao probably already has your guys’ presents loaded. She’s very keen on her schedule.”

Was she being booted out the door?

“Yeah, maybe I should go check on those.” she said.

“I can walk you there, if you want.” he said. “I gotta get back to work, anyway.”

She was. And it wasn’t because he was a man scared of being reprimanded for a short break. It was because he didn’t want her there. He hadn’t wanted to talk to her for a while now, but she’d waltzed in here like she’d been invited. She was a presumptuous asshole.

She stood up, a little too quickly. So did he, and she knew he’d noticed her mini crisis, and now he was going to feel obligated to give her comfort, because she was being the burden she’d always dreaded, because she’d fucked this whole thing up-

“Yeah, sounds good.” she said, before he could speak.

“Hey, we should catch up.” said Newt. “For real, right? Before you fly back. Why don’t you come to my place tonight? Oh, you can meet Alice!”

There was a slight pause as she felt a sink of foreboding.

“Alice?” she said.

“Yeah!” he said. “Sorry, I should have told you. She’s my girlfriend!”

“...Oh.” she said.

It’s not like it was impossible. He _was_  bi, after all. But on the other hand, it seemed _very_  impossible. If the old Newt was going to fall for someone, they’d have been involved in every step of the process, from ‘hey, I met this awesome girl’ to ‘hey, I think I want to ask her out, help me, _please_ ’. It was a huge reminder of how much they were no longer involved in each other’s lives.

And Hermann. Whether he’d admitted his attraction to himself or not, she knew the news of Alice would hurt him. God, she was supposed to come back, and say the coast is clear, go see him, not Newt was annoyed I even showed up, and he has a girlfriend.

Despite all this, she definitely would have gone to meet her if she could’ve. However-

“I would, but I actually have to get back by six.” she said.

He nodded, looking, dare she hope, disappointed?

“Maybe we can catch up another time, though?” she said.

The interest vanished from his face.

“Yeah, of course.” he said. “Here, let me walk you out.”

His data-pad beeped, and he looked down at it.

“Ooh, actually, do you think you could-” he started.

“Yeah, definitely.” she said.

“Sorry.”

“No, you’re good. See you next time, buddy!”

“See you, Danny.”

She walked out. Usually, she’d hug him goodbye, but she didn’t want to when she knew any reciprocation would be faked. Also, she was pretty sure she was about to cry. Fuck, Hermann was going to be so disappointed. They’d lost one of their trio, and not through any big disaster, but through simple, brutal time. Maybe if she’d done something different, things wouldn’t have turned out like this. Initiated more visits, or called more, or-

* * *

-or gone to his fucking apartment, and seen the fucking Kaiju brain inside.

Looking back at that encounter made her hate herself for every blind, grossly self-pitying thought she’d had. It’d been her self-indulgent bout of low self-esteem that had allowed Newt’s downfall to continue. Hermann, at least, had a good excuse. He and Newt had fought for years before they’d reconciled. But her. If she’d just _listened_  to what Newt had been telling her since the day they’d met- that he loved her, that he wanted her around, that he loved spending time with her- instead of what her inner mantra had always said, then she’d have seen that this something was very, very wrong. That time didn’t change a person- didn’t change _Newt_ \- so fundamentally, unless something was up. She could’ve kept pressing, discovered the truth, saved him-

_He isn’t lost yet._

No. Just ten years of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Danny: ‘Are you HAUNTED? Are you fucking POSSESSED? YOU USED TO BE MY DRIFT-PARTNER!’


	9. The Waiting Room

Danny stopped at the checkpoint to the cells, and the guard at the desk nodded at her as she approached. She didn’t seem surprised by her arrival in the slightest.

“Hey,” said Danny, “I’m not actually here to visit, so I don’t think I need an appointment. I was wondering if I could just… sit outside Newt’s cell.”

The guard was nodding halfway through her statement, and waved her past.

“Thank you.” said Danny.

She frowned as she walked. She didn’t think she’d had much interaction with that woman, other than passing her in the hall. Either she was too bored to care, or someone else had told her what she might expect from Dr. Gallego.

The real answer presented itself when she rounded the corner. Hermann was sitting in front of the iron door, his cane propped up on the wall beside him. The sight sent a spasm of pain through her chest, and she could see it echoed in his face when he looked up.

She narrowed her eyes at him. He smiled, and did the same.

“Alright, Hermann,” she said, sitting beside him, “I’ll ignore that you didn’t go to sleep, if you ignore that I didn’t either.”

“Certainly not.” said Hermann. “This is unacceptable, Daniela.”

“Yeah, yeah.” she said.

The flare of amusement brought their grief back into sharp relief. She reached out, and took his hand. He squeezed hers in response.

A morbid thought crept into her head. Newt was only a few feet away from them. The trio was reunited. _Yay_. She felt sick.

For a moment there, she’d thought they actually _had_  been reunited. Newt had been slowly coming to in regards to his boss, what she’d done to him, and his work. The revelation had been co-delivered somewhat snarkily by Hermann, but could you blame him? He’d been waiting for this for years. Still, even amidst the snark, he was protective.

“She took your research, and she twisted it!” he’d said, outraged on Newt’s behalf.

Then Newt had done something that made her heart swell- spoke to them without speaking. Like ten years ago, like how they’d done after the Drift. He’d signaled their attack with a mere glance, and the fight was easy, with the boost of adrenaline, and their reignited rhythm. It even gave Hermann the courage to throw his timidness to the wind, and initiate a hug. Amidst all that death, chaos, and panic, Danny’s hopes had risen like a roller coaster approaching the drop.


	10. Going Under

People were flying around the lab in a frenzy. How far did Shao’s secret extend? These people were on the top level, but they were all desperately trying to shut down the Drones. Well, unfortunately, she didn’t know who to trust, every employee they came across kept trying to shoves them out, and she had more faith in her, and her friends’ abilities than she did in theirs, so she was more than willing to help Newt menace them out the door. She glowered at anyone who got close, making sure her bloody fists were visible, while Newt extended his newfound gun, and Hermann hefted his cane like a baseball bat.

“EVERYONE GET OUT OF THE LAB, OR I WILL _SHOOT_  YOU.” Newt was saying. “I WILL SHOOT YOU _TWICE_.”

Danny grinned, then steadied Hermann as he descended the stairs. One of the employees said something over her shoulder, and Danny caught the Mandarin equivalent of ‘nuts’. Newt pointed his gun at her as she fled, which made Danny wince, but she knew there was no danger of him actually firing it.

“YOU’RE OFFICIALLY FIRED.” said Newt. “GET OUT.”

He left the gun on a nearby table, and got to work. Danny made a mental note to keep an eye on it as she hurried over to the main screen.

“What do we do?” asked Hermann. “How do we stop it?”

“There’s a back-door, guys.” said Newt.

“To?” said Danny, already pulling up programs.

She’d expected him to tell her where to start, but at his light touch on her shoulder, she moved aside so he could have full access. Fair enough. He had way more experience with this system than she did.

“To the Drones’ subroutine.” he said, as he worked. “I added a subroutine just in case I wanted to get in here, and poke around, down the road.”

She and Hermann grinned.

“Ohh, sneaky bastard.” Hermann said, with relish.

Danny looked at him, repressing a laugh.

_Easy there, tiger,_ she thought, _We’ve got a job to do first_.

Newt chuckled.

“I know, right?” he said.

The machinery surrounding them hummed. A thousand error messages lit up the screen, but one was larger than the rest.

‘CMD LIMA VICTOR 426……

****CONFIRMED** **

INITIATING BREACH PROTOCOL’

Her stomach dropped, and she felt Hermann stiffen beside her. Her body knew what was happening before her mind would accept it. Obviously, she thought, this had to be a protocol to _prevent_  another Breach, but then why did it say ‘confirmed’?

“Newt?” she asked, quietly.

“What did you just do?” asked Hermann.

“What I’ve been planning the last ten years.” Newt said, steadily.

He turned to them, and as he did, the screen behind him swirled with purple and scarlet, like an open wound. The urgency was gone from his face. He was steadfast, feet planted in his purpose.

“I’m ending the world.” he said.

And with that one sentence, Danny felt like it already had.


	11. Sinking Fast

‘Possessed’. Danny had been contemplating the word, her thoughts growing more sluggish the more tired she became. Her best friend was possessed. Or _one_ of her best friends were. There needed to be a simple, singular term for one of two, or multiple best friends. Top tier friend? No, terrible. Once they freed Newt, they could come up with a term together. Or rather, she and Newt could think of one, while Hermann scoffed at them, affectionately.

What was she doing? Why was she thinking about this so casually? One of her best friends was _possessed._

_You’ve exhausted your emotions. You feel everything involving these two at maximum power, at one-hundred percent, and that’s just from day to day. Something like this would make anyone go to a hundred, so you’ve been at two hundred for several hours now, and your emotions are burned out._

She sort of _wanted_ to think of it callously, and make jokes about it. This was their life now. Why not?

No, this was _not_ their life. She wouldn’t let it be.

_Yeah, right, okay. You gonna will it away? You’ve already lost. Newt’s missing an entire decade. They could have been married for eight of those years, or, at the very least, seven. What are you going to say? ‘Oh, well, I’m here to make sure he doesn’t lose any **more.** ’ Pathetic._

Where had she been going with this? She hadn’t. She’d just been idly thinking sentences involving the word ‘possessed’. It was one of those words you heard so often you forgot the meaning that was staring in your face. Like fireplace. Fire place, a place for fire. It sounded like a toddler had named it. In this case, the word didn’t just mean feverish eyes, and a demonic being inside her friend. It meant he was owned. A well-oiled too for the Precursor fascists, and that made everything make sense in a way that made Danny nauseous. Newt had been working somewhere he was happy, surrounded by people who loved, and respected him, but he hadn’t been making enough money, so the Precursors had moved him. Newt had tried to keep in touch with the people who gave him the strength to go on, but that bond had threatened his compliance, so they’d snipped it away. Newt had felt best when he was dressed casually, comfortably, and in a punk-rock aesthetic, but the Precursors had needed him to move up the chains, so they’d started stuffing him in suits. And not just the bare minimum needed to fit in with the higher-ups at Shao Corp, but stylized, sleek attire, as if his owners had found his old style sloppy. As if he was being primped and preened, like a doll, a new car, a _possession_.

Danny clenched her fist, and resisted the urge to start slamming it against the iron wall at her back.

_I'll burn them for this._

Hermann glanced over at her, and put his hand on her knee. She gave him a grim smile, and leaned her head back against the wall.

Well, her emotions were back.

* * *

 

She shook her head. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything that would acknowledge what was happening. It would feel like betraying him.

“What- what’s going on?” she asked.

Newt gave her a condescending look, and a sigh, then gestured over his shoulder to the screen.

“Go ahead.” he said. “Look for yourself.”

She approached the main screen, feeling Hermann’s presence as a warmth at her side. Newt passed them as they crossed. She tried to undo the command, but she barely made any headway, and the moment she paused, her progress vanished. It gave her time to process, time to register that if this wasn’t what it looked like, Newt would already be reassuring them.

“Why?” said Hermann.

They turned, looking at Newt’s back.

“Why would you do this?” asked Hermann.

Newt was removing his jacket, rolling up his sleeves in a familiar move that hurt her heart.

“Why would I do this?” he said. “Hmm. Well, I guess I wouldn’t. Not normally. Not really my style. Yeah, no, I don’t know, maybe I hate you all for treating me like an insignificant, naive, little joke of a man.”

His words seemed to be coming to her from a distance, as if she was going into shock, but _that_ struck out at her, twisted inside her. No, no, he must know they loved him, must know they respected him.

“Maybe that’s why he did it, guys,” he continued, then tilted his head immediately. “ _I_ did it.”

He chuckled to himself.

“Oh, see, I… _There_ you go. _There’s_ the problem.”

He turned to look at them, with a smile.

“I’m just not feeling totally myself these days.” he said.

Danny felt her stomach drop.

“ _You_.” said Hermann.

“The Precursors.” Danny said, defeatedly.

 _Ten years_ , she thought.

Newt stared at them a moment. What was that expression? Were the Precursors mad at them for figuring it out? Or worse. Was _Newt_ mad at them, for taking this long? He raised his eyebrows, and turned his back to them.

“Very good, guys, you figured it out, and as usual, a step behind.”

His voice was shaky, and it tore at her heart. Their Newt was definitely still in there, and Hermann realized it, too. She felt him go still beside her, with determination.

“Newton.” he said, levelly. “You _are_ a good man.”

“No, uh, Hermann-“ Newt started, his voice breaking.

“Newt, I’m so sorry.” said Danny.

“You must _stop_.” said Hermann.

Their voices began to intertwine.

“There’s no point in fighting them.” Newt was saying, hopelessly.

“You must _fight back_.” said Hermann, steadfast.

“I am not strong enough, Hermann.” said Newt, irritation rising in his voice.

“ _Yes_ , you are.” Danny said, quickly.

“ _Please_ , Newton.” said Hermann.

“I am not strong enough.”

“Newt, I know you’re tired-“ she started.

“You must-“ said Hermann.

Then Newt’s body was whipping around, and in an instant, one of the most important people in the world to her was strangling the other.

“NO!” she shouted, just as Newt shouted, “HE IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH!”

She rushed forward, but Newt’s other hand came up, shoving her hard, and fast. Her head knocked against something solid, and there was a spike of pain as the world spun around her. She hit the floor, and saw her friends shaking above her.

“NONE OF YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH!”

He was shaking Hermann, shouting in his face. She had to get up, but the world was still tipping around her.

Newt hesitated, taking Hermann in. Hermann was struggling to say his name, grasping at his hand. Newt looked at her, as she struggled to rise to her elbows, and was horrified by what he’d done. He took a breath.

“I’m sorry, guys.” he told her.

He gave Hermann a helpless look, and said a sentence that would haunt her for years afterward.

“They’re in my head.”


	12. Too Much to Drown

She looked over at Hermann. He was staring at the wall, blinking tiredly. He was seven years older than her, and right then, he looked every day of it. He’d be blaming himself for this. Thinking if he’d only told Newt how much he meant to him earlier, had refused to let them part ways, then all of this might be averted. It was only going to get worse for him. They’d be working on something that no one else had before, trying to find out how to break the Precursors’ hold, and who knew how long that would take. Newt had been suffering under the threat of having to kill innocent people for years, but now, he was inside a cell, stewing in the knowledge that it had actually happened.

Was it naïve to hope for a happy ending at this point? What if the best they could do was keep each other from hurting themselves? To aspire to nothing more than a continued existence, dredging through their remaining years, as the memories continued to drown the life out of them.

She restrained a smile.

If the old Newt could see her right now, he’d give her a fake surly look, reach his hand down, and pull her to her feet.

 

Danny stood at the edge of the Shatterdome mess hall, debating where to eat. She’d only been here a week, and she was already on the verge of a breakdown.

“What’s up, goth?” said Newt.

Danny jumped, then smiled. She was both relieved, and horrified to find him at her side. She’d been humiliating herself in front of him and Hermann since she’d got here. Struggling to learn the shorthand of the base, the demands of the fast-pace, grappling with her reading comprehension the more stressed she became.

“Nothing much.” she said, looking back out.

He bumped her with his shoulder.

“You know…” he said. “Well, it feels kind of stupid to say it, seeing how haphazard we look anyway. But it took me and Hermann a while to acclimatize too. No one’s looking down on you. They get it. We’ve just got a head-start, that’s all.”

“Yeah- Yeah.” she said, shaking her head. “No, I know that.”

“You’re doing good.” he said. “What’s up? Why aren’t you sitting down?”

“…If I sit down, it’ll be awkward if I don’t talk to people.”

“Have you not talked to people yet?”

“No. Before I’d always go for the empty table, but now everybody’s too spread out.”

“Well, first off, you can always eat with me, or the grump. Assuming you can find us.”

She restrained a smile at that. That was the main reason she hadn’t before, as Newt would munch on a granola bar while working, and Hermann ate god knows where.

“Second off, these people are _not_ worth being scared of.” said Newt.

She gave him a look.

“Well, maybe they are, but so are we, so that cancels it out.” he said. “And they aren’t _all_ meat-heads. Come on. There’s got to be someone you’ve been dying to talk to. Hey, we can talk to them together! Come on!”

“ _Nnno!_ ” said Danny, as Newt suddenly pulled her forward by her elbow.

“Cah-maaaaaaahn,” said Newt, “If you really don’t want to, we don’t have to, but it’s _not_ that scary, honest. I could do all the talking! Come on.”

He tilted his head.

“They’d love you. As much as I do, as much as Hermann does. Danny, I mean it. You’re super brilliant, you’re one of the smartest people ever. We’ve increased productivity because of you, and everyone knows it-“

“No, they don’t!”

“Yes, they do, because I went around, telling people.”

“NEWT… that’s super nice.”

“I know. Come oooon. Come on. Just one? See if you like it? I mean, if you really don’t want-“

“One.” she said, all of a sudden.

She had wanted to talk to these people for ages, and it seemed like it was now, or never. Her impulse made the decision for her.

“To start with.” she said.

“Right! Yes! Golden!” said Newt. “Let's start with Madeline.”

 

A few seconds later, Madeline the Jaeger tech looked up from her phone to see Newt Geiszler sliding onto the opposite bench at her table.

“Hey, Mads, what’s up?” said Newt.

“Aw,” said Madeline, watching as Danny joined them, giving her an apologetic glance, “just catching up on work.”

“During lunch.” said Newt, nodding. “Danny, I think I found your soulmate.”

Danny and Madeline laughed.

“Is there any reason for you coming over here, or are you just being Newt?” Madeline asked, putting her phone down.

“We’re trying talking to people today.” said Newt.

“How’s it going?” asked Madeline.

“Great so far.” said Danny. “I like your pins.”

“Thanks. I’ve been meaning to tell you, I love your style.” said Madeline. “Goth doctor. It’s so good.”

“Thank you!”

Newt was gesturing towards himself, and giving Madeline a pointed look.

“Yeah, I’m not really into the whole punk Rick Moranis thing.” said Madeline.

Newt’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“Oh, my god.” said Danny. “Fucking annihilated.”

 

Danny definitely gained a new friend in Madeline, but the next person Newt wanted to talk to was Tendo. Tendo fucking Choi, who Danny had found too cool to even look at for too long.

“Fuck.” Danny whispered, as they approached his table.

Newt gave her a concerned look.

“We can skip him, if you want.” he started.

“No.” said Danny. “But definitely keep leading the conversation.”

“I gotcha.” said Newt. “Hey, man!”

“Hey, Newt.” said Tendo, looking up with a smile.

He extended a hand across the table, and they pounded fists, and slapped hands.

“Yeah, of _course_ you two are already friends.” said Danny, as they sat.

“Oh, never talked to him before.” said Tendo.

Danny laughed.

“Yeah, not besides, like, little work stuff.” said Newt, smiling.

“Newt is just… like that, apparently.” said Danny.

“He’s a wonder, isn’t he?” said Tendo, with a knowing smile.

“Don’t do your LOCCENT thing! Stay out of my head!” said Danny, and Tendo chuckled.

“What? What?” said Newt, looking back and forth between them.

“He’s referring to my poorly concealed hero worship of you and Hermann.” said Danny.

“Danny, you _are_ a hero.” said Newt. “Wait, me _and_ Hermann?”

“I know you heard it the first time.”

“Yeah,” said Tendo, “not the best acting, Newt.”

“Tendo, shut up,” said Newt, “Danny, you’ve got _way_ better people to look up to than Hermann. Like Tendo!”

“I already look up to Tendo.”

“And I look up to you.”

“Bullshit.”

“Danny, don’t curse, whose motherfucking house do you think this is-“ Newt started, and Tendo stopped him by handing over his apple.

“Not bullshit.” said Tendo. “You’re doing my job without any training. Everyone’s been telling me how Newt and Hermann’s fighting has been dying down since you arrived.”

“I… thank you. For recognizing that.” said Danny. “It’s very hard-“

“Okay, I don’t like this conversation.” said Newt, though a mouthful of apple. “Next table-“

“Sit down, science boy.” said Tendo, and he did. “Now, Danny, tell me how you manage to keep up your aesthetic when everyone else is barely managing to wake up in the morning?”

“You’re one to talk. Look at that hair!”

 

“Oh, here’s a treat,” said Newt, “Grumpy fuck isn’t always here.”

“Um.” said Daniela.

“Coward.” said Newt.

“Ey, uh, fuck you, Newt.”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding, “I get that a lot!”

“Don’t be like that, you fuck!” she hissed, as he grinned. “You know I love you!”

Newt slid into the seat across from Herc, and proceeded to pull Herc’s tray over to his side of the table. Danny widened her eyes in horror.

“Hey, sirrah, what’re you eating?” he asked. “Can I have some-“

“No.” said Herc, unbothered, sliding his tray back to his side.

“You don’t visit us enough.” said Newt. “You should come down more often. You’re one of the few uniforms I like.”

Herc looked at him, appraisingly.

“Really?” he said.

“Yeah, don’t get mushy about it, but yeah.” said Newt. “That’s why Hermann and me listen to you. Danny just listens to you because she’s nice.”

“I’ve noticed.” said Herc, looking at her. “You looking out for them, miss?”

“Trying to.” said Danny, with a small smile.

“You should get some sleep.” he said, doubtless noting the dark circles under her eyes.

He looked at Newt.

“You, too, gent.” he said.

“Yeah, okay.” said Newt, leaning back. “Thanks, _dad_.”

 

“Oh, she actually eats.” said Newt, in an awed tone of voice. “I thought all she did was study, and ask me and Hermann questions. Come on-“

“Uh, I don’t… I think I’ll sit this one out, if that’s okay.” said Danny.

She was denying it as much as possible, but if she was being honest with herself, she had a bit of a crush on Ms. Mori, and the thought of holding a conversation with her was terrifying.

Newt looked at her, then said, “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. We can talk to someone else. But… don’t you want to meet her properly?”

_…Fuck it._

“Yeah,” she said, “but how about I lead this one?”

Newt looked surprised.

“Okay,” he said. “I’m proud of you.”

 

“Hello, Mako.” said Danny, walking up to her table.

Mako looked up from her phone, and gave her a gentle smile.

“Hi, Danny.” she said. “Oh. Do you mind if I call you Danny?”

“Oh, not at all,” she said, as they sat.

“I thought maybe it was a nickname Newt forced on you.”

“Um.” said Newt.

Danny laughed.

“Nah, I came with it.” said Danny. “He’s not that awful, is he?”

Mako looked at him for a moment.

“He can be.” she said.

“Um.” Newt said, more pointedly.

“But in general, he’s a good man, and a great asset to our team.” said Mako.

“Oh, yes, why thank you, Miss Mori.” said Newt, with a head-bow.

Mako nodded back, her eyes twinkling.

“I just wanted to say…” Danny began, then went blank when Mako looked at her.

It was a bit early to say, ‘I’m a big fan of your work’ without sounding like a stalker. Mako hadn’t become a hero yet, but it was clear she would. Like when a star, with zero experience, walked into an audition.

“You’re really good at your job, and it’s amazing to watch.” said Danny.

Nope. Still sounded stalkerish.

Mako paused, in that quiet way of hers. She was somewhat introverted, with a lot happening beneath the surface. But she looked genuinely flattered.

“Thank you.” said Mako. “I admire your work, too. You’re very quick.”

“Thank you.” said Danny.

_I feel more frazzled, and clumsy than quick._

Mako seemed to see her reluctance to embrace the compliment.

“It takes a while for anyone to find their feet here.” said Mako. “I mean that.”

“Yeah,” Newt said, eagerly. “I was telling her.”

“How are you settling in?” asked Mako.

“ _So_ badly,” said Danny, relieved that the subject had been broached, “but like you said, it’s a rat’s race for everyone.”

“I like you,” said Mako, as if that simple sentence didn’t make Danny’s stomach do a flip, “so I’ll tell you my secret, if you like.”

Danny leaned it.

“I’d be honored.” she said.

“You can make cookies with four ingredients you can steal from the cafeteria.”

“Oh, shit.” said Newt.

 

Newt patted Danny on the back as they left.

“That was _good_.” he said. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Newt.”

He tilted his head in the direction of Pentecost’s table.

“Are you ready for the big one?” he asked.

Before she could answer, she spotted Hermann walking up to them with a determined gait.

“What are you two _doing?_ ” he said, quietly. “You’re making a scene!”

“Shit, are we?” asked Danny.

She looked around, and noticed that the entire cafeteria seemed to be glancing her and Newt’s way with amused expressions, wondering who they’d accost next.

“Don’t scare her-” Newt started.

“Well, not a scene, per se,” Hermann amended, for Danny’s sake. “They seem to find it amusing enough, and only Newton seems to be embarrassing himself. But what is the _goal_ here? What are you attempting to accomplish?”

“The goal is _socializing_ , Hermann.” said Newt. “I get it, that’s a foreign concept to you-”

“Newt-” Danny started.

“He was mean to us first!” said Newt, then raised his palms. “But I get it. Don’t fuel the fire.”

“Basically, what he said.” Danny told Hermann. “I was scared to approach people I wanted to talk to, but with Newt standing by me, being loud, and unashamed, it was much easier.”

“It wasn’t all me!” said Newt, proudly, putting his hand on her shoulder. “She talked to Mako all by herself! It was really good!”

“And…” Hermann trailed, peeking over their shoulder. “You were going to talk to the Marshal next?”

Newt glanced at Danny, then back at him.

“We were considering it.” he said. “Do you… want… in on that?”

Hermann was deliberating. Both Danny and Newt raised their eyebrows, in surprise and anticipation.

“We…” said Hermann. “We shouldn’t bother the man!”

“He’s not doing anything right now.” said Danny. “I’m pretty sure I just saw him sign an autograph.”

She was surprised by her words. She’d been about to draw the line at talking to Pentecost, but now that she had a more scared Hermann here, who clearly wanted to talk to him, she suddenly had motivation. Is this how Newt had felt?

“Yeah.” said Newt. “I mean, I could work my magic-“

“ _You_ will not say _anything_.” said Hermann.

“I think we can let him say _something_.” said Danny. “But yeah, I can take point.”

Newt raised his eyebrows in surprise, but nodded.

“Yeah, alright.” said Newt. “Lets go chat with Stacker Pentecost.”

 

“Gentlemen.” said Stacker. “Dr. Gallego.”

“Good afternoon, Marshal.” said Danny, sitting. “We just wanted to congratulate you on your Flanders tactic with that meeting.”

“Yeah,” said Newt, through a mouthful of food, “peaceful a.f.”

Stacker nodded.

“Thank you.” he said. “And we’re grateful you could join us.”

“Happy to.” said Danny.

Oh, fuck. Here came the lag. If it was just her, she’d back out while she was ahead, but Hermann hadn’t gotten to say anything yet. The lag was getting bigger. Fuck!

Newt swallowed.

“ _So_.” he said, deliberately.

“Newt-“ Danny said.

“Newton-“ Hermann said.

“Oh, my god.” said Newt. “Have I even said anything? Did I _even_ say anything? You two good? Good. _So_ …”

He made eye-contact with Pentecost.

“-taming a Kaiju.”

“No.” said Stacker.

“Absolutely.” said Newt. “My bad. Have a nice day.”

Hermann put a hand on Newt’s arm, stopping him before he could get up, and exit.

“He mentioned, in all seriousness, cloning a small Kaiju for a pet the other day.” said Hermann.

Stacker gave him a small smile. Danny thought it had less to do with Newt’s ridiculousness, and more to do with assuaging the nervousness of a man who clearly adored him. Hermann flashed one of his lightning-quick smiles as Newt started to protest.

“I was _drunk!_ ” he squeaked. “But don’t try and _tell me_ it wouldn’t jump our research _years forward_ -“

 

That conversation ended a little more quickly than the others. Danny had steered it to do so, her instincts saying that holding it any longer would make Hermann too nervous. It seemed she’d guessed correctly, because Hermann left perfectly happy, having made Stacker smile. Newt suggested the three of them finish eating outside.

“See, Danny?” Newt said, as the breeze trickled past. “You’re a lot braver than you think. Hey, if you can talk to Pentecost, you can do anything. Hermann… you were okay.”

“Yes, thank you, Newton.”

“Like, you were scared, but you got right into it.” he told Danny. “And it’s the same with work. Nah, like, it’ll always be stressful, but you’ll find where you fit. And us three in particular- like, Hermann, you’re an asshole, right?”

“Am I… supposed to confirm th-“ Hermann started.

“But he’s still super smart!” said Newt. “Look at us. We’re _amazing_. Us three? We’re going to save the world. Count on it.”


	13. All For One

Her smile faded as the feeling in her chest grew more solid. She shifted on the floor to look at Hermann.

“Hey,” she said, “remember when Newt tried to make you a birthday cake, because he heard your dad hadn’t sent anything?”

Hermann smiled.

“Yes, and you tried to correct the inevitable disaster halfway through, and only succeeded in making it worse?” said Hermann.

“I never a knew a cake could look that black,” Danny whispered.

“Or taste that salty.”

“You shouldn’t have eaten it.”

“It was too amusing not to. And your looks of horror as I did so more than made up for the taste.”

They were both grinning.

“That was when he supposedly hated you, too.” said Danny.

“Yes.” Hermann said, softly.

“Hermann, if anyone has enough life in him to survive this, it’s Newt.”

“…It’s still a task fit for Atlas.”

“Oh, yeah.” said Danny. “It’s gonna be harder than hell. But there’s definitely hope. I promise. Look at me.”

He met her eyes.

“I _promise_.” she said. “Now, you’re not going to sleep tonight, are you?”

“No. How about you?”

“Yeah, no. So, let's go get some ice-cream, and some of those biscuits you like, and start saving Newt Geiszler.”

 

 

_The End_


End file.
